Escape
by Thadiine
Summary: Now that Alice is free from the Dark Presence, Alan is determined to save who he had to sacrifice, and maybe get himself free from the depths of the cabin under the lake.


**Hey everyone. This is my first fanfiction and…well, what better game to base it off of than the amazing Alan Wake? I noticed a lack of stories in the section, and I feel as if I have my /own/ understanding of the ending, and can write something on from there. So…reviews/criticism are welcome. Thanks. =)**

**I know, it doesn't follow the DLCs. I haven't played those yet. So…here's my own continuation of the story.**

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><p>"We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones."<p>

I never believed in words so much before. I used to just be a writer, searching for ideas wherever I went, writing down every experience I had, taking in, breathing in the world around me and using it to my advantage, using it in my words. Sometimes, it was just one word at a time, slow and painful. Other times, it just fell out on the page like water flowing in a stream. I always had my characters deal with the problems, the horror of their own minds. I never once dug into my own personal fears too much. I was afraid. I made up these things for my characters to run away from, never realizing that one day; I would be coping with my own mind.

I can't think much now. She's not here anymore, she's gone, but I need to keep writing. I never realized what a hole I had been digging myself into. I was just tossing myself into my own grave, never giving thought to what could happen in the future. I now know that it was my mistake. I was always so rash and hot-headed, and my temper is what lead to this.

My problems are much deeper than I thought they were. I thought I could just end this like any other story. Maybe kill off the main character in a creative way, or have them finally beat their fears. Something else has to happen though, for I am the main character. It's already started. This ocean of my problems, though filled with trenches of darkness, there is a way to end it. Get to the surface, through the light, or get to the bottom, the end, through the darkness. I have to end it now. I started it so long ago, after Alice was taken away from me. She's back. She swam out from the lake, gasping for air, very much alive.

Now, I just have to get myself out of this. Maybe bring back the people that died along the way too. While writing the story to get Alice back, I had to make sacrifices, every horror story does. Rose. Agent Nightingale. I know what to do now. If I can keep writing this, dream things up to keep the story moving, and use Mr. Scratch in my place, then I will be able to escape from my own tangled web I have created. It's complicated. The strands need to be taken care of one by one. But I know I can do it. In this story, there's going to be a happy ending.

I just need to keep the balance steady. There has to be some darkness, and some light. They have to interfere with each other while I'm busy writing my way out of this. Rose was touched by the darkness in my last story, so she can be the guardian of light. Agent Nightingale was completely taken by the darkness. It found a new face to wear. I just need to keep this under control.

I press my fingers down on the keys of the typewriter, each letter appearing on the sheet of paper after a tiny click. The sequel to Departure. Where it last ended, Alice was alive, and I was gone.

"Escape"

"…"

"Alan, wake up!"

Alan opened his eyes. Light shined in, bright, blinding, like the sun was staring down at him directly. His vision was fuzzy. The faces and figures moving around him were all just a blur. Voices echoed in his head, his ears ringing. He winced out of pain, shutting his eyes again, only to feel his body shake.

"Alan? Please, open your eyes!"

It was Alice's voice. He hadn't heard it in so long! It was like music to his ears. Though waves of pain rushed into his mind every second, and his body was numb with some sort of chill, he forced himself to open his eyes again, and up into a sitting position. Where was he? Words of the people around him mixed together into a low hum. His vision cleared, his surroundings finally becoming visible. He was in the cabin. There were pictures hanging from the walls, a few lights on, and outside, complete darkness.

He let out a strangled breath, focusing on Alice, who was leaning over him. There were no other people in the room except for the two. Suddenly, the noises he had been hearing stopped. His head still continued to pound and ache.

"Alice…what…what happened?" His own voice came as a shock to him. It was hoarse and cracked, as if he had been just recently shouting. It all came back to him suddenly though. Alice had fallen into the water, the depths of the lake. He shouted her name, and jumped in after her. All of his memories rushed back to him. The monsters attacking him, Barry calling him crazy, the doctor, him searching for some way into the cabin, some way to get Alice back…but she was right there.

The woman in front of him sighed with relief, sitting on the edge of the bed near his feet, the worried expression on her face disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"You were mumbling in your sleep, shaking and kicking…I was worried." Her voice was comforting and sincere. The last thing he remembered of her was her scream when he had been outside of the cabin, after he stormed off, angry with her trying to push him to write.

"Worried? I was worried for you! You fell from the railing into the water; all I heard was your scream. I had to jump in after you, and then I…woke up. In a car. You were gone."

As he spoke, Alice's brows knitted together in confusion. Alan ended his rambling, tilting his head to the side, parting his lips open to speak again, yet deciding against it. Suddenly, her small frown turned into a weak smile. She chuckled softly, clasping her hands together.

"It was just a dream, Alan." She reassured softly, leaning towards him. Alice then sighed quietly, raising a hand and tucking a strand of her blond hair behind one ear.

"I guess that means I should stop worrying. You scared me though."

Alan stared at her with his mouth partially open, as if in disbelief and shock. Everything had felt so real. He could remember the conversations word for word, the monsters hitting and attacking him, his heart pounding as he ran from the threatening darkness, his realization of everything at the end. There were those television sets too, seeing himself on the screen, mumbling about something. He vaguely recalled the feeling of being trapped somewhere, but having accomplished something too. But maybe it all was a dream. A very vivid dream.

"Do you want some water?" Alice offered, bringing Alan's attention back to the world.

He nodded curtly, but then looked up at her.

"Weren't we arguing before?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes. Alice stopped in the movement of standing up from the bed, and crossed her arms over her chest, her hands rubbing the bare skin of her arms.

"Yes. But after you took a bit of time outside, you came back in." She turned towards the door, glancing over her shoulder and back at him. "I'll just get a drink." Her footsteps echoed down the hallway, and then down the stairs, completely disappearing.

What had felt like days had only been…hours? It didn't seem possible. But it was, apparently. After all, those monsters, they couldn't have ever been real. The way the darkness swirled around them like blood in water, the way they moved with such speed sometimes...it was impossible.

With an exasperated sigh, Alan collapsed back down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Everything was okay now. He and Alice could enjoy the rest of their vacation here, and just relax. No writing, no more nightmares, no nothing. Maybe he could even take some of her suggestions and actually talk to some people, despite not wanting to be recognized as a renowned author.

Alice came back into the room again, holding a glass of water in one hand.

"Maybe you should write down your dream, and get some inspiration from it." She suggested warily, resting the glass on the night-table beside him. Alan only grimaced. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn't say anything in response though, afraid to get into another disagreement. He just reached for the glass beside him, bringing it to his lips, and taking a few small sips to clear his mind. Alice smiled weakly, waiting until he rested his head on the pillow before she crawled into the bed, lying beside him.

He was afraid to close his eyes, worried that another dream like the last would come his way. But somehow, in the back of his mind, he knew that he was safe from whatever evil would get into his head while he was asleep. Maybe Alice was right, maybe he had to write something to get all of the horror filtered from his mind.

The light continued to glow beside him, casting a warm glow to the rest of the room. Rolling over and onto his side, Alan stared ahead into Alice's eyes for a few moments, reassuring himself that she was really there, and that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Goodnight Alan." She whispered quietly.

Alan shut his eyes.

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><p><strong>Well, that's all for the intro. Trust me, it's going to be more than just a dream. I have this all planned out. Kind of. xD <strong>

**As said before, reviews are welcome! Thanks. =P**

**Hope I didn't go too far away from their character/personality.**


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